The first year I started in San Francisco, there was an American work on every program and there's been a lot of music by living composers and gradually that was part of the process of getting the audience really to trust me.

1976 Conducting the Cleveland Boys Choir and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus performing Orff: Carmina Burana. 2003 Conducting the San Francisco Symphony performing Mahler: Symphony No. Quotations
Responding to an interviewer's question about favorite composers:


Awards
Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance
2013 Conducting San Francisco Symphony performing Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride in a Fast Machine
2006 Conducting San Francisco Symphony performing Mahler: Symphony No.

Michael Tilson Thomas (born December 21 1944) is an American conductor pianist and composer.